How to get your life together this summer

Tags

ability to thrive, alcohol, amazing benefits, anxious, blood flow, body, bottle of water, boundaries, boxing, brain, burnout, cook, dawn to dusk, debilitating, demands, draining, easy, eat and drink, energised, energy, exercise, family, feel good endorphins, feeling, focus, friends, fruit and veg, glowing, good for you, GP, health, health and wellness, healthier, healthy skin, hormones, ideas, just say no, lash out, life, longest day of the year, marathon, meal planning, more organised, natural stress reducer, people pleasers, perform, pressures, priorities, rampant, Relax, rested, sacrifice, screens, shopping, shortcuts, sick, sleep, stress, stress levels, suck, sugar, support, take-aways, taste great, trainers, under control, wake

As we are fast heading to the longest day of the year, how are you feeling about your life?

Is everything great, or could things be just a little bit better?

A bit healthier?

More organised?

Could you sleep better and feel more energised?

Well, we have put together a few ideas that we hope will let you be the very best version of you, from dawn to dusk.

Nutrition
How often do you sacrifice meal planning and cooking from scratch, for taking shortcuts and getting take-aways? It is so, so easy to get caught up in the pressures of life and the demands of everyone around you, but the truth is that won’t do anyone any favours. But, we do get why it happens. The key is to figure out what to eat each week, ensure you have the shopping organised so that you can then cook recipes that don’t require a massive amount of preparation but taste great and are good for you.

Try to eat foods that nourish your body, support your life, and make you feel and look your best! Keep sugar and alcohol down and fruit and veg high.

Keep stress under control
Stress is totally debilitating, draining, and can have massive damaging implications on our health, energy, and ability to thrive. Let’s face it, stress can stop us from achieving lasting health and wellness, so it is important to look at how we deal with it so that we don’t burnout, or lash out. If we don’t monitor stress levels, we can age before our time, get sick more often than we should, and feel anxious all the time as hormones run rampant around in our bodies.

Think again about what you eat and drink. How much time you work and spend at your screens, and consider how best to get good sleep at night so you wake feeling rested. Make time for you and relax. If you are worried about your stress levels, speak to your family, friends or GP and get some support in place.

Exercise
We have said this before, but it is key to take exercise because it has so many amazing benefits. It’s a natural stress reducer, it gets the blood flowing through your entire body, including your brain, and this can help you focus, think more clearly and allow you to perform better. Exercise gives you glowing, healthy skin and can help improve your immune system.

We aren’t saying that you need to train for a marathon or start boxing for England, but find something you like doing and in time, you will love it and all that it brings to you.

So, grab your trainers, get some funky workout gear, a bottle of water, and let those feel good endorphins racing around your system, making you feel fab.

Just say no
This isn’t easy, as so many of us are people pleasers, but it is important to have boundaries in place so you are OK saying ‘no’. Yes, you want to be able to help others, but if you don’t put yourself from time to time, you won’t be able to help anyone else. Look at what you have to do day to day, work out what your priorities really are, and if you can’t take anything else on, don’t.

We hope you have a great summer and that some of these steps will ensure you are on the right path to being the best you.

Team Pure Beauty

How to Beat Blue Monday

Tags

21st January, amino acids, anxiety, anxious, bag, beans, below par, bleak mid-winter months, Blue Monday, breakfast, caffeine, cheese, coffee, cola, cold, coloured fruits and vegetables, concerntration, constipated, cucumber, daily fix, decaf, depressed, desk, doom and gloom, drink, eggs, emotions, fatty acids, fibre, fish, five a day, fizzy drinks, food, fresh, Frozen, gut, headaches, healthy digestion, herbal tea, hydrated, ice, January, juiced, lean meat, lemon, lentils, mental health, mentally, miserable, mood, nuts and seeds, omega 3 and 6, outside, partially hydrogenated oils’, payday, physically, portion sizes, protein, pulses, regular meals, resolutions, sip, sleep, small, soothing hot drink, soya products, squash, stimulant, tea, trans fats, tummy, water, wholegrains, winning lottery ticket, worried

With the 21st January, aka Blue Monday fast approaching, some of you might be feeling a little below per right now. It is cold outside, it’s still ages until payday and those resolutions that seemed like such a good idea on 31 December have been long forgotten, all of which can make you feel a bit miserable.

Fear not, it’s all doom and gloom. While can’t turn up the temperature or give you a winning lottery ticket, we do know that what you eat and drink can help ease the blues and beat the anxiety that makes life a little harder in the bleak mid-winter months.

Drink water
Yes, this one again. If you don’t keep hydrated you won’t feel at your best, your concentration will lapse, you may get headaches and you might also feel constipated and none of these things will help your mood. Cut down on fizzy drinks and high sugar squashes, and instead drink water with ice and add slices of lemon and cucumber to liven things up a little and keep a bottle on your desk and in your bag so you can sip during the day.

Keep an eye on caffeine
We know many people love a coffee first thing and a tea break mid-afternoon, but both of these drinks contain caffeine which might not help you if you are feeling blue. Caffeine is a stimulant and one which will give you a burst of energy at first, but then when you come down the other side it could make you feel anxious, depressed and disturb your sleep, especially when drunk before you go to bed. We don’t suggest you stop having your daily fix suddenly, as this could lead to nasty withdrawal symptoms, but it might be a good idea to start cutting back on tea, coffee, chocolate, cola and energy drinks and think about switching to decaf versions or opting for herbal teas which are caffeine free but mean you don’t miss out on a soothing hot drink.

Look after your tummy
You might not know this, but your tummy reflects your emotions so if you are feeling anxious and worried, your gut may suffer too. To help with healthy digestion, it is important to eat plenty of fibre which means loading up on wholegrains, beans, pulses, live yoghurt and you might want to consider taking a probiotic too.

Get your fruit and veg in
Eating a variety of coloured fruits and vegetables every day means you’ll get a good range of nutrients including the minerals, vitamins and fibre needed to keep you physically and mentally healthy. You might be interested to know that fresh, frozen, canned and juiced fruits and vegetables all count towards your five a day and if you are worried about portion sizes, one portion is about a handful.

Remember to eat protein
Protein is packed full of the amino acids that make up the chemicals your brain uses to regulate your thoughts and feelings, and it also keeps you feeling fuller for longer so you are less likely to reach for the mood interrupting sugary snacks later on. Lean meat, fish, eggs, cheese, beans, lentils, soya products, nuts and seeds are all good protein sources and it is pretty easy to fit them into every meal – so make sure you do.

Eat the right fats
We know we are told fats are bad and to be avoided at all costs, but this isn’t true. Try to avoid ‘trans fats’ or ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ and instead eat fatty acids, such as omega 3 and 6 as these are good for your brain function and mental health. Healthy fats can be found in oily fish, nuts (almonds and walnuts are a good choice), olive and sunflower oils, seeds (such as sunflower and pumpkin), avocados, and eggs all of which are tasty and easy to eat!

Eat on a regular basis
Now is not the time to skip meals as this will lead to a drop in your blood sugar levels and that can make you feel tired and irritable. Try to go for small, regular meals throughout the day, adding in healthy snacks, and always eat breakfast as this will set you up for the day. Wholegrain bread and pasta, brown rice, cereals as well as nuts and seeds are all a good idea but keep away from sweets, biscuits, sugary drinks, and alcohol as these won’t do your mood any favours.

Whatever you eat and drink make the sensible choice and we wish you a very happy, healthy 2019.

Team Pure Beauty

How to keep up the good work after Dry January

Tags

aggressive behaviour, anxious, beers, behaviour, big night out, BOGOF, booze, bottle of beer, budget, colds, consuming less alcohol, cup of tea, cutting down, depresses, designated driver, disrupt, doubles, drink, drink free days, drinking less, energy, family members, G&T, glass of water, go easy, hangover, happier, healthier, healthy, idea, immune system, infections, internal organs, Irrational, Judgement, limit, Long Island Ice Tea, memory loss, mood boost, new haircut, One step at a time, one too many, partner, plan, quality, relax and unwind, rested, sensible level, singles, sleep patterns, spa day, swap, wake up, water, wealthier, work colleagues

If you were one of the thousands who made it through Dry January without a drink, congratulations.

The temptation to make up for lost time might cross your mind, but Long Islands Ice Teas all night long, might not be the best idea for your head, you waistline or your pocket.

What we are say is, you don’t need to give up booze altogether, but there are many benefits of cutting down how much you drink. In the short-term you will feel fresher when you wake up in the morning, have more energy, enjoy clearer skin and even lose those stubborn extra pounds.

Over time you will find that consuming less alcohol will have so many plus sides you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

Improved mood
There is no doubt that drinking can make you feel depressed and hangovers often make you feel down in the dumps anxious and so cutting back could really make you feel happier.

Better sleep
Drinking can really disrupt your sleep patterns and prevent you from getting the good quality sleep that keeps you healthy. Cutting down on alcohol should help you feel rested when you wake up and drink free days will really improve your sleep.

Improved behaviour
Judgement and behaviour often go out of the window, especially when you’ve had one too many. Irrational and aggressive behaviour easily happens after a big night out and memory loss only make things worse the next day. Go easy on the beers and even offer to be the designated driver every now and again and lay off the booze altogether.

Better health
You might think that a regular drink helps you relax and unwind, but the reality is it can play havoc with your immune system and internal organs, so don’t over do it or you could pay the price with colds and infections.

With all of this said, we have had a look at how to keep your drinking at a sensible level all year round, rather than for just one month.

Make a plan
Make a decision about how much you are going to each week, set a limit and write it done.

Budget for It
Don’t forget that booze costs pounds, so just be aware of what you are spending on drinking each week and pair that up with your plan.

Do it together
If you tend to drink with work colleagues, family members, your partner or friends, let them know your new drinking intentions and see if they want to put a limit on things too.

One step at a time
We aren’t saying give up the juice right this minute, but if you make small changes every week, you will soon find you are drinking less and loving the benefits.

Go Small
Yes, BOGOF offers and happy hours are fun, but they can be your ruin. Go for singles over doubles, have a bottle of beer rather than a pint and don’t go large when it comes to the size of your wine glass.

Swap it for water
To get ahead of the game, before your first alcoholic drink and between each subsequent one, have a glass of water.

Alcohol free days
Try to have several drink free days each week and see how you sleep and if your mood improves when you swap a G&T for a cup of tea.

See the savings
Put the money you save on drink each week into a jar and treat yourself to a spa day, new haircut or those shoes you have always wanted at the end of the year.

Most of all, enjoy a happier, healthier, wealthier you.

Team Pure-Beauty

Free your mind

Tags

21st century, aced it, anxious, best friend, bigger picture, bottle, brain, breath, breathing, brisk walk, changes, chill out, close friend, count to ten, desk based jobs, destructive, dwell, endorphins, enjoy, every day, face to face, focus, free fall, free your mind, fresh air, fun, harder and harder, harsh, heart beat, ideas, inside, interview, job, jump to conclusions, laugh, Life is short, Live in the moment, living, long hours, look, make a list, manageable chunks, missing out, mode, month, more to life, mum, new job, on the ball, on trend, one step, over worked, partner, positive, quick swim, regroup, Relax, revolves, right now, sit back, situation, social media, step back, stop, stressed, talk, think back, time, tired, tomorrow, under paid, week, work, world, worst-case scenarios, you

Stressed?

Over worked and under paid?

Tired?

Anxious?

Far from being words that are banded around for the sake of it, for many of us this is the reality of 21st century living.

We are expected to be on the ball, on trend and down with the kids 24/7 and sometimes, things can get a bit too much.

We have put together some easy ideas of how to free your mind so you can relax and chill out once in a while rather than constantly having your brain in free fall mode.

Breath
Before you do anything else, sit back, count to ten and breath. Focus on your breathing, feel the air go into your body and out and just stop for a few minutes and regroup.

Talk
After breathing, comes talking. If you bottle everything up, then it is only going to get worse and seem harder and harder to deal with. Open up to your partner, mum or a close friend and they may have ideas about how you can make changes and find a positive way forwards.

Live in the moment
Whatever is making you anxious right now, isn’t going to last. Breakdown what is bothering you into manageable chunks and tackle it one step at a time. For example, if you are moving house you might feel overwhelmed, but step back, make a list, work out what needs to be done and if you can, delegate.

Not this again
If you are worried about an interview, think back and see if was the same the last time you went for a new job? If it was, and you got the job, what are you worried about? You aced it last time and we bet it will be the same the time round too.

It’s not all about you!
Harsh we know, but not everything that happens in this world is about you. Yes we can all feel put upon or have our sensitive days, but thinking every situation revolves around you in some way can be really destructive and you could be missing out on a lot of fun.

Look at the bigger picture
Ask yourself whether the issue that is on your mind right now will still be there tomorrow, in a week or in a month. It is unlikely it will be, so regroup, relax and look at what is going on in the world and see there is more to life than a difficult boss or messy flatmate.

Preparing for the worst
I will lose my job. He is going to dump me. She doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore. We tend to jump to conclusions and dwell on the worst-case scenarios and this can lead to stress and depression. It is far better to talk to the person involved face to face and find out what is really going on before you make yourself ill believing the world is about to end.

Take some exercise
Social media, long hours and desk based jobs mean many of us get less exercise than ever. Try to get some fresh air every day and even if you have a brisk walk or a quick swim, your heart beat will go up and the endorphins will pump good vibes around your body.

Laugh
If nothing else, remember to laugh. Life is short so make the most of it and enjoy every single day you have.

Team Pure Beauty